The white-trimmed, classic brick of the Salamander Resort & Spa in Middleburg, Va., sits on 340 picturesque country acres known for verdant hills, elegant equestrian events, and vineyards. But when entrepreneur Sheila Johnson laid eyes on it years ago, the area 50 miles west of Washington, D.C., was boarded up and nearly bankrupt, save a few thriving shops, she said.
“One was a gun shop with a Confederate flag in it,” said Johnson, speaking to Fortune’s Diane Brady during an on-stage interview at the Fortune COO Summit conference in Middleburg on Monday. Johnson couldn’t stand the thought, so she bought the building and transformed it into Market Salamander, a high-end café and market.
